Thursday, August 17, 2017

As more Iraqi
territory has been freed the government has run into a growing problem, how to
secure it all. Most of the local police fled when the Islamic State conquered
northern and western Iraq in 2014. Baghdad never rebuilt most of these forces
due to a lack of planning and money. That led to ad hoc solutions, one of which
was the tribal and local Hashd. These units are small and disparate, and
usually linked to tribes, politicians and parties seeking political and
economic power. In Anbar and Ninewa these forces have run into increasing
problems, undermining security in the process.

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

There were more incidents in Mosul and surrounding areas of
Ninewa province. Islamic State members were arrested
attempting to smuggle weapons into west Mosul. A senior insurgent leader who
allegedly was in charge of operations in east Mosul along with several other militants
were also detained.
A policeman in Tanak in the west was shot and killed.
In an outer village, an IED wounded a civilian, and three people were killed
and one injured in a shooting incident in the Tal Afar district. The liberation
of Mosul didn’t mean the end of the Islamic State. Its units are scattered, but
still making attempts every day in the governorate.

The Islamic State is operating throughout Ninewa, but at a
very low level. Three insurgents were arrested
attempting to lay IEDs along the road from Qayara in the southeast to Mosul. Every
day there are a few such incidents. They do not present a real threat to
security, but it shows the militants have access to nearly every part of the
province.

Mosul continued to face sporadic violence. On August 11,
three Islamic State fighters were discovered
in a tunnel and killed
by Federal Police in Hawi Kanisa in the northwest. The next day, August 12, a
suicide bomber was shot at
a checkpoint in west Yarmouk, while men in military uniform robbed
a house in the northeast. The Chief of Staff of the 5th Federal
Police Division General Hafez al-Tami told
the press 80% of west Mosul had been cleared. On July 25, the police gave the same
figure. Unfortunately, the Iraqi forces often exaggerate such matters. What is
not open for debate is that there are still attacks in the city nearly every
day now. None of these pose a real threat to security, but they show that the
insurgents are still alive and active.

Saturday, August 12, 2017

A common belief about the Middle East was that it was carved
up by England and France during World War I with the 1916 Sykes-Picot Treaty.
The reality is much more complicated. One example is the creation of the
Iraq-Saudi-Kuwait border. That was literally a straight line drawn by the
British, but was only a rough demarcation, which took decades to define.

Ibn Saud of Najid with Sir Percy Cox British High
Commissioner for Iraq during the Mandate period (Cricistan)

Friday, August 11, 2017

Islamic State elements continued to be discovered, killed,
and carry out attacks in Mosul. A gunman opened
fire on the Victory bridge, the only connection between the two sides of the
city leaving two dead and three wounded. The police claimed they killed 47 IS members
since the city was liberated at the start of July, along with finding hundreds
of weapons and explosives. These attacks, while low level, show that Mosul,
especially the western half is still not secure. The number of IS elements
appears to be small, but they are still spreading fear. The attacks are a major
reason why many people have not returned or are leaving.

The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) were still concerned about violence
in west Mosul. The Old City district was closed
off and a curfew
imposed on August 8 after reports of Islamic State fighters appearing from
tunnels and basements in the area. According to the Federal Police insurgents
were still a threat in the district, while a military spokesman told Reuters that the Old
City was a military zone and off limits to civilians. On August 9, the police discovered an IS judge in a
basement killing him in a gunfight. An IED led to the death
a civilian in the west, and wounded another in the east. Combat has ended in
the city, but there are still attacks by the militants. These are sporadic, and
mostly occur in the west. There are also hundreds if not thousands of
unexploded ordinance laying around that continue to cause casualties as well.

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Jurf al-Sakhr
was once the Islamic State’s capital in Babil province. It gave the group
access to southern Iraq, Baghdad province to the north, and Anbar to the west.
In 2014, the district was liberated, the entire population expelled, and
violence dramatically dropped off in the governorate afterward. This year, Babil
is getting it from both sides. The Islamic State is picking up its terrorist
attacks, while the Hashd is trying to drive out and intimidate people before
the coming Ashura ceremony in September.

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

There was a late report of violence in Mosul on August 6. That
day
there were five incidents plus a mass grave discovered all in the western half.
Additionally, a member of the Education Directorate was shot
and killed in the east. August 6 was one of the most violent days in the city
for quite some time. It was another reminder that not only are IS elements
still hiding out in the tunnels of the Old City, but has cells roaming the rest
of Mosul as well.

Monday, August 7, 2017

There was more violence in and around Mosul. On August 5,
four bodies were discovered
shot and tortured in Hadbaa in the northeast. The next day, an IED went off
in a house killing one and wounding another, a suicide bomber was killed,
thirty bodies were found
in a mass grave in a market, a teenage age boy’s body was uncovered
in the Old City, a policeman was wounded in a shooting at a checkpoint, and an
IS fighter emerged from a tunnel and shot
at two tribal Hashd killing one and injuring another. All of this happened in
the western section of the city. A leading Islamic State judge was arrested
with his family as well. Outside the city in Houd, in the Qayara district in
the southeast two IS elements died in a gunfight. Nearly every day there are
security incidents in Mosul and Ninewa in general. These are still scattered,
and have little impact overall, but they do show a low level of insecurity.
This is a major reason why so few people are going back to Mosul. The security
forces in Mosul are also being transitioned, which could open gaps, which the
insurgents could exploit.

Saturday, August 5, 2017

The Islamic State carried out two operations in Ninewa.
First, a suicide
bomber got into a house in the Jadida neighborhood in west Mosul, which the
Golden Division was using as a headquarters and detonated his device. The
bomber killed
seven and wounded four. Later in the day the Iraqi forces (ISF) tried to cover
up the incident claiming the bomber was killed and there were no casualties. To
the southeast, 13 IS fighters were shot attempting to infiltrate the Qayara
district from nearby Shirqat in Salahaddin. A gun battle ensued
with three ISF injured, and all the insurgents eliminated. Every few days the
militants have carried out an attack. So far, they are scattered and small
scale, but they show that the group is still operating. It also shows they
access to nearly every part of the province.

Friday, August 4, 2017

There are still Islamic State elements throughout Ninewa. In
Mosul, three female IS members were arrested
in Zuhur in the east. The security forces claimed they were spies. In Qayara,
to the southeast of the city, the insurgents killed a member of the security
forces and wounded another in a shooting. Finally, IS attacked two
villages in the Tal Afar district, but were turned back by the Hashd. The
Islamic State is obviously attempting to recover from their recent defeat in
Mosul. That has led to sporadic incidents in Ninewa. While these have been
largely ineffective, they do show that the militants have access to nearly
every part of the governorate.

Thursday, August 3, 2017

Casualties and security incidents reached the lowest monthly
totals of 2017 in July due to the end of the Mosul campaign. Before, the battle
for the city was driving violence across the country. Now they will be heading
downwards until the next offensive begins.

Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Security and rebuilding were the top news in Mosul again.
Three IS elements made up of a handicapped man and two women attacked
a checkpoint killing a policeman in the Zinjali neighborhood in the west. The
man was killed and the two females arrested. The insurgents are still carrying
out sporadic operations inside the city with a mix of hidden elements in
tunnels and basements, and cells hiding out in the city.

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

There were continued
clearing and rebuilding operations in Mosul. First, the Iraqi forces (ISF) arrested 12 Islamic State members attempting to escape across the Tigris River
from east to west Mosul. They were picked up in three different neighborhoods.
Second, the Federal Police announced they were
done with 40% of their sweep through the Old City. Three weeks after the city
was declared liberated IS elements continue to be killed and arrested, and
explosives defused. This is a major reason why so few displaced are returning
to the city; they don’t think it is safe yet. Third, a man was freed after being kidnapped for ransom. He was taken in the northeast and
found by the army’s 16th Division. There have been sporadic reports
of crime taking place in Mosul since the east was freed at the start of 2017.
Unfortunately, the lack of jobs and money is likely a driving force. Fourth, 14
bodies were discovered in the Old City of West Mosul. Civil Defense units believe there are
hundreds of people still buried in the west, and they have weeks more work to
do to find them. Finally, engineers are working on building a new pontoon bridge across the Tigris to link east and
west Mosul. The city used to have five bridges across the span but those were
all destroyed by the U.S. Coalition. Now these is just one bridge, which
severely restricts the movement of people and supplies between the two halves.
The World Bank has also fast tracked programs to rebuild the five original
bridges.

Monday, July 31, 2017

There were various reports out of Mosul. First, an IED
in the northwest left three dead and four wounded. There are thousands of unexploded
bombs left in the city, which pose a serious threat to people returning right
now to the western section. Second, three Islamic State elements were killed
trying to cross the Tigris River from west to east Mosul. There are still
insurgents said to be hiding in the Old City in the west. They are still being
flushed out or attempting to escape. Third, 16 municipal workers were arrested in
Mosul for cooperating with IS. The security forces and National Intelligence
Agency are hunting down insurgents in the city, and apparently are now focusing
upon collaborators as well. Last, 23 people were pulled out of the rubble of the
Old City. Finding survivors three weeks after the city was liberated was pretty
amazing.

With the Mosul battle over the Iraqi forces (ISF) are
preparing to attack Tal Afar in western Ninewa. Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi
has talked about the upcoming operation almost every day now. The army, police,
Hashd and tribal Hashd will all be involved.
The ISF are staging in Badush. The Islamic State launched
two suicide bombers at that town, which were killed. That might have been a
pre-emptive assault by the insurgents. Tal Afar is likely to follow the same
plan as Mosul, meaning that the Hashd will have perimeter duties, while the
army and police will enter the town. There has been some talk of having the Al
Abbas Division being allowed to go into the village as well. It is loyal to
Najaf and Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and has worked closely with the army and
police before.

Saturday, July 29, 2017

Reports of the Islamic State carrying out attacks in Mosul
are getting rarer. On July
28, an insurgent was killed attempting to throw a grenade at a patrol by
the Iraqi forces. There might be more security incidents occurring, but there
is still a media blackout in much of west Mosul, which is stopping them from
being reported.

Friday, July 28, 2017

There are still Islamic State elements in west Mosul, while securing
the city remains a problem. Al
Mada talked with tribal Hashd units that said militants were hiding in
tunnels underneath west Mosul, and attempting to cross the Tigris River to get
from the west to the eastern side of the city. Sections of west Mosul were
still considered too dangerous to do any repair work or allow any families to
return. West Mosul also leads to rural areas of Ninewa where there is the
threat of infiltration by IS. Protecting the city against attacks are over a
dozen tribal Hashd units, police, army, and the National Intelligence Agency.
Some of the Hashd have been pulled out and sent to other parts of the city
without warning. The different security forces also do not cooperate with each
other, and there are too many of them. A Hashd commander complained to Al Mada
that the security situation in the city was chaotic. A Ninewa councilman blamed
the governor for the lack of coordination. Ninewa politicians would like to
solve this problem by having dismissed police returned to duty, but Baghdad has
done nothing on this issue forcing the city and province to rely on a
hodgepodge of security forces instead.

Thursday, July 27, 2017

UN installing power transformer in east Mosul to deliver
electricity to neighborhoods (UNDP)

Iraqi army clearing rubble from a road in east Mosul
(Baghdad Post)

Corpses washed up along the bank of the Tigris in west Mosul
(Middle East Eye)

Several dead bodies showed up in West Mosul, but they were
all Islamic State members. Three corpses were discovered shot
in the head and handcuffed under one of the destroyed bridges across the Tigris
River. There have been reports
of other corpses turning up, blindfolded, showing signs of torture, and
execution. An army major told Middle
East Eye that an order had gone out to kill any IS elements they found in
the city. Stories of these extra judicial killings have been going on for
several days now. There are still arrests going on however, so the major’s
story has to be taken with a grain of salt.

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

East Mosul’s street lights have been restored six months
after section was liberated (Baghdad Post)

The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) were sweeping west Mosul,
while the Islamic State carried out two attacks. First, four policemen were killed
in a shooting by insurgents in a market in the west side of the city. Another
police officer and an intelligence agents lost their lives to the militants in
the east. Six IS members were arrested
near the Mosul airport in the southwest carrying weapons and suicide belts. Azzaman reported that IS elements
were still in Shahawan and Qalahat in the Old City, and gunfire could be heard
in sections of the city, especially at night. A spokesman for the Ninewa
Council told
the press that IS elements were still in tunnels in the in west, but that they
would be cleared out in a few days. The Federal Police claimed they had gone through 80%
of West Mosul. The Golden Division is also doing sweeps so it is unclear
whether the 80% figure was just for the police or all the ISF. There have not
been any stories of combat in the city for several days now. There are
occasional terrorist attacks and shootings however, and always stories of
arrests. Those show that IS has cells operating throughout the city. Luckily,
their operations are sporadic. Whether they increase, decrease, or stay at the
same rate in the coming weeks and months will be a good sign of the strength of
IS within Mosul.

About Me

Musings On Iraq was started in 2008 to explain the political, economic, security and cultural situation in Iraq via original articles and interviews. I have written for the Jamestown Foundation, Tom Ricks’ Best Defense at Foreign Policy and the Daily Beast, and was responsible for a chapter in the book Volatile Landscape: Iraq And Its Insurgent Movements. My work has been published in Iraq via NRT, AK News, Al-Mada, Sotaliraq, All Iraq News, and Ur News all in Iraq. I was interviewed on BBC Radio 5, Radio Sputnik, CCTV and TRT World News TV, and have appeared in CNN, the Christian Science Monitor, The National, Columbia Journalism Review, Mother Jones, PBS’ Frontline, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Institute for the Study of War, Radio Free Iraq, Rudaw, and others. I have also been cited in Iraq From war To A New Authoritarianism by Toby Dodge, Imagining the Nation Nationalism, Sectarianism and Socio-Political Conflict in Iraq by Harith al-Qarawee, ISIS Inside the Army of Terror by Michael Weiss and Hassan Hassahn, The Rise of the Islamic State by Patrick Cocburn, and others. If you wish to contact me personally my email is: motown67@aol.com